From the Head of the UGCC on the 299th day of the war: “Victory can be seen in the eyes of soldiers, wounded and released from Russian captivity”
It can also be seen in the eyes of the elderly in the destroyed villages of the Kherson region and Kharkiv region, where they live without electricity and heat amid the Ukrainian winter. Victory looks at us through the eyes of war victims who say: “The Ukrainian people are already winning. The enemy has already lost.” The Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, said in a daily address on the 299th day of the war.
The Patriarch pointed out that today Ukraine celebrates the day of Saint Nicholas, who is best known to children and who became for the people the embodiment of God’s mercy that saves in times of war. His Beatitude Sviatoslav asked the saint for intercession before God for the anguished Ukrainian people: so that his hand which saves those on land and sea, in the air and travel, may be spread over Ukraine.
“The realization that we are all called by God places our whole life before the Lord, who loves us and has a beautiful plan for each of us, enables us to understand that everything is the fruit of His wisdom, providence, vigil over the world, and not the senseless chaos that we observe during the war,” said the archbishop.
He emphasized that, according to the teachings of the Church of Christ since apostolic times, there are two states of Christian life: marriage and consecrated virginity.
“Thus, I am addressing the youth today: do not be afraid to accept God’s plan! By discovering your vocation, you will understand what the Lord is calling you to. Then, when you feel called to the married state, do not be afraid because this is your road to happiness. As soon as you feel the call to consecrated virginity, to a life of purity until death, do not be afraid to accept it as a special gift and an opportunity for self-realization in the grace of the Holy Spirit. Do not be scared to take a vocation to the priestly or monastic state! — His Beatitude Sviatoslav addressed the Ukrainian youth and wished: ‘May the Lord help everyone to be brave!’
The UGCC Department for Information
